Conservatism, Romanticism and Revolution -Key Concepts-

Conservatism, Romanticism and Revolution

-Key Concepts-

I. Some Qualifications of the “Dual Revolution”

• Triumph of this revolution was by no means certain

• Not some gigantic, historical steamroller• The influence of regional, cultural

variance• The Old Regime was very capable of

defending its privileges• The tremendous intellectual challenge

of the “Dual Revolution”

II. Reaction to Revolution: Conservatism

A. A “Natural Order of Society”

• Conservatism as a 19th century ideology

• Edmund Burke as the leading spokesman

• Society is the partnership of the living, the dead and the yet to be born

A. A “Natural Order of Society” (cont)

• Civilization depends upon continuity and order

• Special privileges to higher classes to maintain social order

• Openness to gradual change

B. Growing Distrust of Reason

• Foundation for the emergence of romanticism• Essence of human experience is subjective

and emotional• Human knowledge is a puny thing compared

to other great historical forces• Society is an organic whole not suitable to

piecemeal reform• “Individual Rights” are dangerous efforts at

selfishness—community is more important

C. Fascination with History and Christian Philosophy

• People and society are not abstractions divorced from historical settings

• History is a stabilizing force for an unstable society

• The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars were evidence of human sin—man is not good by nature

• The fear of God is a good way to curb man’s sin

D. A “Special Home” in Germany

• Reaction against Napoleon’s conquests• Liberalism and Nationalism represented

an extreme threat for Germany and Austria

• Quadruple Alliance: Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain

• This Alliance was interested in providing stability in all of Europe in the wake of the French Revolution

E. Conservatism in Action: The Congress of Vienna

• European Peace Conference, 1814-1815

• Symbol of Aristocratic Resurgence

• Conservatism Embodied: Austria’s Metternich

• Hates both liberalism and nationalism

E. The Congress of Vienna (cont)

• The importance of the “Balance of Power” in European Politics

• Compromise with Revolution

• Growing conservatism: 1820’s and 1830’s-- “Peterloo Massacre” (1819)

III. The German Confederation

• Foolish to restore the Holy Roman Empire

• Sign of rising German nationalism• 38 German states presided over by

Austria• Basic constitutional framework with

representative assembly meeting in Frankfurt

• University Repression--Carlsbad Decrees (1819)

IV. The Romantic Movement

• Began in 1790’s and peaked in 1820’s

• A movement of northern Europe, especially Great Britain and Germany

• Complex and varied movement

• A reaction against classicism

A. Romantic Themes

• Rejected rigid artistic laws and ancient artistic rules

• Feelings and imagination as valid, if not more valid, than reason and order

• Individuals have unique, endless potential

A. Romantic Themes (cont)

• Self-realization comes through art—Artists are the true philosophers

• Inclined to extremes• Drawn to danger and

adventure• Rejection of

traditional society

A. Romantic Themes (cont)

• Suicide and madness not uncommon

• Rejected materialism in pursuit of spiritual heights

• Yearned for the unknown and the unknowable

• Nature was both wild and awe-inspiring

A. Romantic Themes (cont)

• Fascinated by color and diversity

• History is the art of change over time

• The uniqueness of cultures was emphasized

A. Romantic Themes (cont)

• In rejecting society, romantics found a wide variety of escapes

• Loved the world of children—spontaneity and their sense of wonder

• Special focus on the fantastic and unusual

B. Romantic Literature

• Main genre: poetry• William Wordsworth

(1770-1850) and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

• Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

• Johann Goethe (1749-1832)

B. Romantic Literature (cont)

• Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

• Mary Shelley (1797-1851)--Frankenstein

• George Sand (1804-1876)

C. Romantic Music (cont)

• Free expression and emotional intensity realized most fully in music

• Music became a sublime end in itself

• Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827)

B. Romantic Music (cont)

• Chopin and melancholy, exultation and dreaminess in his music

• Wagner’s operas were wild, earth-shaking, fantastic and extreme

D. The “Romantic Hero”

• Definition• Greatest Example:

Lord Byron• Tremendously

popular among the European reading public

• Youth imitated his haughtiness and rebelliousness

E. Political Implications

• Romanticism could reinforce the great themes of political liberalism--Beethoven’s Third Symphony

• Romanticism could also reinforce the great themes of political conservatism

E. Political Implications (cont)

• Contributed to growing nationalism--Johann Herder and “historicism”--The “volk”.

• Relationship of liberalism to nationalism

• Romanticism: the great paradox

V. Nationalism: A Growing Threat to Conservative

Empires• The nature of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire--Hapsburg Monarchy

• Nationalism within the German Confederation

• Prussia: Focus on Pan-Germanic Hopes

V. Nationalism as a Threat (cont)

• The Hohenzollern Dynasty and Frederick William III

• “Big” Germany or “Little” Germany?

• Italian Nationalism--Joseph Mazzini--Young Italy Movement

VI. Revolution in the 1830’s

• An explosive mix: liberalism and nationalism

• Revolution in Paris Again

• King Louis-Philippe• Reform in Great

Britain--Reform Bill of 1832

• Conservatism “on the run”

VII. Revolutions in 1848

• Paris, Again-- “June Days”

• Shock waves spread over Europe

• Prussia and Austria• Celebration in the

streets• Disunity: The

Revolutionary failure• Return of a “new”

Conservatism

VIII. The Modernization of Western Governments after

1848• State-focused politics• Public opinion now taken into account• Alliance with nationalism and the

middle class• The Process in Action

--Prussia--The Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary--The “Ringstrasse”

VIII. Modernization of Western Governments (cont)

• A changing concept of economic and political liberalism

• Narrow and selfish for some

• Broad and humane for others--John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859)